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The Marvels

Fans of Brian Selznick – author of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck – will be thrilled with his latest book – The Marvels. In this new adventure the Caldecott Award winner tells the story of two boys linked through time, as two seemingly unrelated stories – one in words, the other in pictures. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations.

The written tale opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an unknown uncle’s fantastical house in London, where he tries to make sense of the mysteries – and we join him for his journey. Quirky, imaginative and beautifully illustrated (this is Selznick’s real triumph), the style is not for everyone – younger readers may battle with following the mystery at times but it’s well worth persevering. For an in-depth review check out the NY Times here.